Electronic artist Dan Deacon will be performing Sunday, May 2 for the annual One Voice Benefit Concert, coordinated by A&O, Mayfest and Niteskool Productions. The unannounced opening act will start at 7 p.m. on the Norris East Lawn, if weather permits.
Deacon is known for his live shows in which he performs on the ground level with the audience. His most recent album Bromst was on Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2009 list.
“His fan base is smaller than Passion Pit’s, but his base is very enthusiastic,” said Carolyn Goldschmidt, director of concerts for A&O and Mayfest. “I’ve never seen him, but I’ve been dying to.”
Students will not need tickets to see this free event. “A couple hundred” people typically attend the One Voice concerts, according to Goldschmidt. If it rains, the show will be relocated to the ground floor of Norris.
One Voice used to be a coalition of student groups that worked to raise funds for human rights issues. This year, One Voice is its own group, with hunger in Asia as the beneficiary cause. Students can donate non-perishable food items at the concert to benefit the Chicago Food Depository and Freedom From Hunger.
The show will also allow Mayfest to kick off its many events for the month, culminating in Dillo Day May 29. Students will receive free Dillo Day merchandise in exchange for food donations.
A&O worked with Niteskool Productions previously to bring Girl Talk to campus. For the One Voice show, Niteskool played an important role in the artist selection process and assisted with programming costs, according to Lynn Stransky, president of Niteskool.
“Niteskool was dedicated to hosting a show that Northwestern students could really get excited about,” Stransky said. “Given Niteskool’s budget constraints, it’s often difficult to find an artist popular enough to have student recognition while staying low-profile enough to be affordable, so we started looking into co-sponsorships.”
A “solid electronic artist,” Deacon is in the same vein of Passion Pit, headliners at this year’s A&O Ball, according to Goldschmidt. A&O has fun booking the One Voice concert because they have more “artistic license” with the show, she said.
“One Voice has always been a fun show because it’s a little smaller,” Goldschmidt said. “Definitely an experience you don’t want to miss.”